A passed pawn is a pawn with no enemy pawns ahead of it on its own file or the two files beside it, so no pawn can block or capture it on the way to promotion.
With no enemy pawn able to stand in its way or take it, a passed pawn has a clear path to the last rank, where it promotes to a queen. That threat is one of the most valuable assets in the endgame.
Even when it can’t promote at once, a passed pawn is a constant menace: the opponent must tie a piece down to stop it, leaving them short of force everywhere else on the board.
Two famous pieces of advice: ‘passed pawns must be pushed’, because the further they advance the harder they are to stop; and put your rook behind a passed pawn, whether it’s yours to escort or theirs to chase.
There are no enemy pawns in front of it on its own file or on either neighbouring file, so no enemy pawn can ever block it or capture it as it advances.
A passed pawn that is defended by one of your own pawns. It’s especially strong because the enemy king can’t simply capture it, making it very hard to stop.
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